Housewarming Celebration

"Junior Brother! Congratulations on your housewarming! Your senior brother and sister have come to add a few possessions to your home!"

Senior Disciple Brother Shi Long's booming voice came from the entrance.

Shi Long and Zheng Ying arrived together.

Several servants followed behind them, carrying several brand-new tables, chairs, cabinets, and other furniture.

The items were not particularly valuable, but they were sturdy and durable—exactly what the Wang Family needed right now.

"Senior Disciple Brother, Second Senior Sister, you're too kind!"

Wang Yuan hurried forward to greet them.

Wang Gui and Madam Zhou also quickly came over to offer their thanks, feeling even more grateful toward Panshi Fist Academy.

Shi Long laughed heartily as he helped arrange the furniture.

Zheng Ying stood quietly to one side instead, her cool gaze sweeping over the Small Courtyard. She gave a slight nod, seemingly fairly satisfied with the surroundings.

"The place Third Junior Brother Shang Yong chose isn't bad."

Not long after Shi Long and Zheng Ying left, another unexpected guest arrived outside the courtyard gate.

It was none other than the Zhang Family's eldest young master, Zhang Mingyuan.

He was still dressed in brocade robes, every inch the refined gentleman.

A young servant followed behind him, carrying several exquisitely wrapped gift boxes.

"Brother Wang Yuan, please forgive this uninvited visit."

Zhang Mingyuan smiled warmly and cupped his hands.

"I noticed today that Miss Wang Yu had not come to work at the residence. Only after asking around did I learn that your family had moved. I specially prepared these modest gifts as a token of my regard, to congratulate you on your housewarming."

Wang Yuan understood at once that the man had come for his sake.

But his elder sister had received Zhang Mingyuan's protection in the Zhang Family after all. Wang Yuan still understood the principle that one should not strike a smiling face.

Wang Yuan glanced at the somewhat nervous Wang Yu beside him, then returned Zhang Mingyuan's salute.

"You are thoughtful, Young Master Zhang. Thank you."

"My elder sister is at your residence. I hope Young Master Zhang will look after her."

"Rest assured, Brother Wang. Miss Wang Yu is exceptionally capable, and all the servants in the residence respect her. I certainly won't let her suffer any grievance."

Zhang Mingyuan promised with a smile, giving Wang Yuan ample face in his words.

After exchanging a few more pleasantries, Zhang Mingyuan tactfully took his leave without lingering to disturb them further.

Seated in the luxurious sedan chair on his way back to the residence,

the smile on Zhang Mingyuan's face gradually faded. He lowered his voice and asked the middle-aged man beside him in the sedan chair,

"Third Uncle, what do you think of this Wang Yuan? How are his strength and natural physique? Is he really as the rumors say?"

The middle-aged man's expression was somewhat grave. "Eldest Young Master, this boy... is no simple matter."

"From my close observation, his Vital Blood is full yet contained, and whether walking, sitting, or lying down, he is as steady as a mountain."

"In this old man's view, he is definitely more than merely at the Panshi Fist Entry Stage. It is very likely... that he has already completed the First Blood Change!"

"Moreover, he is far from comparable to an ordinary martial artist of the First Blood Change."

"The condensation and abundance of his Vital Blood, the strength of his sinews and bones—even I faintly sensed a trace of... threat from him."

"He gave me the feeling of a fierce tiger that had not yet fully bared its fangs."

"What?"

Upon hearing this, Zhang Mingyuan could no longer maintain his composed expression, and shock appeared on his face.

One had to know that this Third Uncle of his was a Second Blood Change expert, second only to his father within the Lineage. He was seasoned and experienced, yet even he felt threatened?

"Entry Stage in seven days, then suspected to have completed the First Blood Change in such a short time... such talent is unheard of!"

Zhang Mingyuan drew a deep breath, his gaze turning sharp.

"It seems our investment in Wang Yuan must be increased by several degrees."

"Before he rises completely, we must bind him firmly to the Zhang Family's ship."

The morning's bustle finally came to an end, and the place had begun to carry the warm air of a home.

Wang Yuan and his family sat around the new table Senior Disciple Brother Shi Long had just sent over and ate a simple yet exceptionally sweet housewarming meal.

The dishes were made by Madam Zhou using the rice they had brought with them and the meat and vegetables Wang Yuan had bought yesterday.

Though it was not a lavish meal, being able to eat peacefully as a family in this spacious, bright new home was already an immense blessing.

After the meal, Wang Gui habitually reached for his set of tools for doing odd leatherwork jobs.

Madam Zhou also instinctively looked toward the pile of old clothes awaiting mending in the corner. Her hand had only reached halfway when she stopped as well.

The two exchanged a glance, and a trace of confusion and barely perceptible disappointment surfaced on both their faces.

Plague now ran rampant in the East District, and order had collapsed. Their former work had long since dried up.

Now that they had suddenly moved to the orderly yet relatively closed-off South District, unfamiliar with both people and place, they had abruptly become "idle people," and felt uncomfortable all over.

Having toiled for most of their lives, suddenly having nothing to do instead left an emptiness in their hearts, even making them somewhat uneasy.

Wang Yuan saw his parents' anxiety and understood.

After pondering for a moment, he took a heavy cloth bundle from his robes, placed it on the table, and opened it. Inside were gleaming silver ingots.

They were the hundred taels of silver he had looted from the Incense God Cult followers.

"Father, Mother."

Wang Yuan spoke, his voice calm.

"We can't go back to the East District. Since we've come to the South District, we need some kind of livelihood."

"Take these hundred taels of silver."

Wang Gui and Madam Zhou were startled at the sight of so much silver.

Wang Gui hurriedly waved his hands. "Yuan'er, this... this is too much!"

"You need money for martial arts training. How could we possibly..."

Wang Yuan interrupted his father and continued, "What I mean is, use this money to take over a small storefront here in the South District and open a grocery shop."

"We can sell everyday necessities like oil, salt, soy sauce, vinegar, needles, and thread."

"We may not make a fortune, but it should be enough to support the household, give you two elders something to keep busy with, and let you live steadily and peacefully."

Open a grocery shop?

Wang Gui and Madam Zhou were stunned.

All their lives, they had worked for others. They had never imagined that they could become "shopkeepers" themselves and open a business.

Madam Zhou hesitated.

"Th-this... can it work? We've never done business before, and storefront rents in a place like the South District must be terribly expensive..."

"Mother, don't worry."

Wang Yuan smiled and reassured her.

"We have Third Junior Brother."

"His family is the Wanguan Merchant Association. No one knows the storefront market in the South District better than they do. Asking him to help us find a storefront with a good location and fair price won't be difficult."

"And with him watching over us, no one will dare come looking for trouble so easily."

"As for how to run a business, it is nothing more than honesty as the foundation and small profits with quick turnover. Father and Mother, you are both kind and honest people. There certainly won't be a problem."

Hearing her son mention that wealthy and generous Third Junior Brother, Shang Yong, Wang Gui and Madam Zhou felt their hearts settle slightly.

That was right. With a benefactor helping them, perhaps... it was not entirely impossible.

Wang Gui looked at the gleaming silver on the table, then at his son's calm, confident face, before looking around the bright new home.

A long-lost drive and hope rose from the depths of his heart.

He nodded forcefully, his rough hand rubbing the tabletop as light returned to his eyes.

"Good! Yuan'er, Father will listen to you. We'll open the shop."

"Your mother and I will definitely run it well. We won't make you lose face, nor waste your good intentions!"

Seeing her husband agree, Madam Zhou smiled as well.

She began calculating what goods a grocery shop would need to stock, her eyes filled with anticipation for the future.

Seeing his parents rekindle their fighting spirit, Wang Yuan also breathed a sigh of relief.

He knew that giving his parents something to do, a focus of their own in life, was far better than simply keeping them at home on his support.

If these hundred taels of silver could buy his parents peace of mind and a fulfilling life, they could not be better spent.

"I'll go discuss the shop with Third Junior Brother this afternoon."

Wang Yuan said.

"Father, Mother, familiarize yourselves with the surroundings first and get some rest."

"Once the shop is settled, there will be plenty to keep you busy."

Wang Gui and Madam Zhou nodded repeatedly, the confusion and disappointment on their faces replaced by anticipation and drive.

The South District's storefronts would certainly not be cheap.

But with a goal, their son's support, and the connections of that wealthy Third Junior Brother, they felt that their days had something to look forward to once more.